Can't stop taking pictures of yourself? Then you might have 'selfitis'

Selfitis, or the obsessive taking of selfies, appears to be a genuine condition, research has suggested.

The term was first coined in 2014 as part of a spoof news article claiming selfitis was to be deemed a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association.

But researchers have looked into the phenomenon, after other technology-related disorders such as "nomophobia" or the phobia of not having a mobile phone to hand, have been studied.

Dr Mark Griffiths, of Nottingham Trent University's psychology department, said: "A few years ago, stories appeared in the media claiming that the condition of selfitis was to be classed as a mental disorder.

"While the story was revealed to be a hoax, it didn't mean that the condition of selfitis didn't exist.

"We have now appeared to confirm its existence and developed the world's first Selfitis Behaviour Scale to assess the condition."

Through the study, which was carried out with 400 participants from India as the country has the most users on Facebook, the Selfitis Behaviour Scale was developed, which can be used to determine how severely people are afflicted by the condition.

Using a scale of one, for strongly disagree, to five for strongly agree, people can determine how acute their selfitis is by responding to statements such as "sharing my selfies creates healthy competition with my friends and colleagues", and "I feel more popular when I post my selfies on social media".

Researcher Dr Janarthanan Balakrishnan said: "Typically, those with the condition suffer from a lack of self-confidence and are seeking to 'fit in' with those around them, and may display symptoms similar to other potentially addictive behaviours.

"Now the existence of the condition appears to have been confirmed, it is hoped that further research will be carried out to understand more about how and why people develop this potentially obsessive behaviour, and what can be done to help people who are the most affected."